Letters to the Editor

'Retro' right in backing Parenthood

12/28/2011

Your Dec. 17 editorial "Retro thinking" got it right.

Many news media seek to crucify Planned Parenthood by quoting right-wing politicians who distort the truth while pandering to people who have no idea what Planned Parenthood actually does.

You accurately state that no federal funds can ever be used for abortions by any Planned Parenthood affiliate. The Northwest Ohio affiliate has never done abortions.

Planned Parenthood provides high-quality, low-cost -- or free -- reproductive services to women. It distributes information about family planning, along with contraception medications and devices.

For many poor women, this is the only annual health exam they receive.

Lee Hakel

Bowling Green

Editor's note: The writer chairs the Foundation for Family Health Inc. and is a former board member of Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio.

Fix streets before developing bike path

The city can afford to buy property for a bike path that we can't afford to develop, yet it can't afford to fix the streets we drive on daily ("CSX sells 11.6 miles of right of way for bike, pedestrian path," Nov. 1).

Maybe when the streets finally finish ripping the wheels off our vehicles, we will need another way to get to work.

Karl Murphy

South Detroit Avenue

Criminals will get guns despite laws

The writer of the Dec. 15 Readers' Forum letter "Will lawmakers restrict gun access?" seems to live in the "laws will make it better" bubble.

Elsewhere in the same edition of The Blade is an article about four men who invaded a South Toledo home and shot the resident multiple times, while beating and robbing him and another person. These criminals couldn't care less about the letter writer's hope that legislators will make the world safer by further restricting the carrying of guns by law-abiding residents, who are the only ones who follow the plethora of laws already in effect.

When will sheltered people realize that criminals will carry guns regardless of how many laws are passed to control them?

Jim Brower

Oregon

Presidential office should be respected

The writer of the Dec. 15 Readers' Forum letter "Anti-Obama poster crosses the line" expressed disdain for an image of President Obama with a Hitler-style moustache. Was the writer as offended when the same was done to President Bush?

Showing such immature disrespect for the office of President of the United States isn't partisan. Neither should be expressing disgust toward those who initiate the disrespect.

Eileen Matuszynski

Sylvania